Santa's Helpers: Mobilizing the Elves for a Restoration Project - from Family Christmas Online^TM

When Denise first contacted me, she explained that she had an animated Christmas display that was powered by a music box mechanism. The thing was so sluggish, she wondered if she should try to replace the mechanism. I gave her some advice on cleaning and lubricating the music box part of the thing, and before long she had it running like a champ.

Photographs followed. The display included a fireplace in which a Santa would rise and fall as the music box played. To the right was a stairway that had a mechanism that would come up and down the stairs. Denise thought that there were originally children attached to the mechanism - the idea was that they would swoop down just in time to see Santa's feet disappear up the chimney, then back upstairs as Santa came down. But what did the children look like? And why did it look like something was missing from over the mantel?

I contacted Maria Cudequest, who participates in the discussions on our Cardboard Christmas(tm) discussion forum. Maria operates a blog that splits between reporting local news in Croton, New York and presenting unusual collectibles, especially Christmas decorations. (To sign up for just the collectible issues of Maria's blog, click here.)

Maria has many friends in various collectible communities. One is Mark Podmore, who has made an avocation of scanning old catalogs, collecting obscure Christmas collectibles, and posting great photos on his Flickr pages. Mark not only knew what Denise had - he owned one. Maria liked it so much she bought it from him.

Mark also located a scan of an old advertisement for the thing.

When we forwarded the ad to Denise, she was so happy she wrote all kinds of wonderful things about me. I kept explaining that Maria and Mark had done all the work and I just knew who to contact for this sort of thing. If you wonder if she was pleased that Maria and Mark had tracked the thing down, check out her e-mail (edited to take out most of the stuff about how wonderful I am).

PAUL! It's Christmas morning!! Thank you so much! My daughter and I woke up to this surprise this morning! YES, this is the one!

It has a cream colored fireplace with white presents and red ribbons on them. A stag head . . . that is what was on the mantle piece! . . . My heart is overjoyed right now with your kindness . . . I cannot wait to begin remaking this! . . .

I cannot believe it...I began my search and found nothing, and within days you found it!! You are Santa! Ha ha ha. Thank you so much!

I am so thrilled to give this to my husband completed on Christmas morning...I just know he will cry happy tears :) (Me too) My daughter is laughing, asking how we will remake that stags head on the mantle! lol. Hey, this is what artists do! :) Ha ha. Thank you so much for everything . . . If ever you need anything let me know!

While I was busy giving credit where it was due (Maria and Mark), Denise used a miniature vacuum to vacuum the red velved "carpet." With the help of her eight-year old, she cleaned the solid surfaces. Based on the advertisement's colors, she repainted the gifts.

Soon Denise had several closeup photos to work from. She matched the paint for various parts as well as she could to touch it up.

By now, she also had a pretty good idea of what the children looked like. An artist herself, Denise made her own version of the children, which are just as charming as the original.

She also made her own version of the stag head and replaced the electrical components as they didn't look quite safe. .

Later, when I asked her how it was going, she replied:

Hello! Merry Christmas EVE Paul and Maria!

I am so thrilled about surprising my husband tomorrow morn :) Thank you both so much for helping me to make this happen...I just know we will all be touched :) My daughter and I had the best time recreating the kids and making a new buck head! FROM SCRATCH!

I included a photo of the santa up and also down. So great! the original light we got it with was blue! So when I redid the electrical system, I found new blue bulbs, so the lighting is in the authentic color from his grand parents. Very cool! The wind up music box is stellar and thanks so much for the tips about using a brush to dust it etc. awesome!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Looks mint out of the box haha. I repaired a chip in the corner as well, but still need a small amount of cleaning tonight on the rear wall.

Thank you so much for everything :) I hope your families and you all have a very merry and wonderfully joyous Christmas!

Denise

As George Peppard used to say on the A Team, I love it when a plan comes together. The truth is, that sometimes we come up "dry" after this kind of inquiry, but as you can tell, when things work out, they can work out very well.

Denise, I speak for all of us when I say it was a privilege to help you with your project, and we hope it gives your family pleasure for generations to come.

Followup

Paul,

I am crying . . . happy tears :) . . . Beautiful beautiful article!! I cannot wait to share . . .

The house... Its so beautiful and putting it out this year was incredible and the story goes on!

There's more!! This Christmas, I was scouting around for Christmas village houses to add to my daughters surprise Christmas gift. She always secretly dreamed of a train running around the tree so I was looking for villages to add to the couple we have to put a train around the tree and put the houses there...a Christmas morning surprise for young ones...things they never forget! While looking for houses I saw a small white church which looked interestingly like the one that was listed in the original ad from Mark Podmore, the ad that had our Christmas Capers! So I contacted the seller and sure enough it had the same stock number and was the church in the ad! So i thought how wonderful that would be to own the other item in the ad!? NEAT!!

MY daughter, when I am long gone will enjoy the memories of all of this :) I made a few bids...I lost. BUT I wrote to the seller as I mentioned and I was able to send him a copy of the ad for the person who bought it from him. SO the buyer won the church and a copy of the original ad :) They were so happy to have this to give with their church :) A few weeks later I took my daughter to the National Christmas Center in Lancaster, right up the road from us :) Don't you know when we walked in the white church was sitting on the counter as if a new addition to their display!? Could it be that the buyer, was the owner of the NCC?? It was funny to us that the whole event of the Christmas Capers keeps on coming back :) That was a few weeks ago in late January...and here you are sending an article :) It just keeps on going :) Fabulous :) Just a glorious world we live in :)

My husband just walked in...I cannot wait to read this to him :) THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR NIGHT!!

Denise

If you've been reading our pages, you know that we have more articles planned, and a lot on our plate, so keep checking back. And contact us with any questions or suggestions you have in the meantime.

Paul Race

www.familychristmasonline.com

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